WHAT A JOB!

The few, The proud, The Physical Educator. What a crazy day/week. All week kids in different grades have been participating in the IOWA's, not to mention the students who have to make up certain activities for the fitnessgram. Planning and coordinating times is a part of the behind the scenes work. Whereas dealing with the kids who need a lot of running around to do is on the front lines. During the 8th grade class I completed a SOFIT form. This form is a written representation of; what the class is doing, what the teachers are doing/presenting and what the student is doing. This was very interesting to do, partly because it made me feel like an administrator! The students were again in stations today, Bocce ball, Disc Golf and Kan Jam. Three activities we never did at my school which was awesome to see. The students switch every day, so in theory they usually get one day at each station (weather permitting and length of unit). I also did an interview with an English as a Second Language student today. Imagine your parents couldn't help you with any homework that you brought home. Seems like a tough road, fortunately we all know a teacher is always available for extra help. 

Tomorrow we are doing things in the Track and Field Unit. Students get to try and beat school records in the High Jump, 400, 200, 100 and 50 meter races.This is a lot of fun for the students and you are always hearing them talk about it after class about who might break Bobby Jones' 200 record of 33 seconds from 2002! It's a great thing to see when students are getting excited for Phys Ed and want to participate in the activities they can be doing forever, hopefully they will!

Observing Homer

Well the week started off with a bang!  I arrived at Homer Junior High School  right around 7:30. It was damp from the rain the night before and their was an overcast in the sky. Not typically a great day for physical educators doing a track and field unit. However my host teacher, and his co-worker had great plans to keep the kids interested in the class and have some fun. When I walked into the office to sign in my host teacher (HT) happened to also be there, and we made our way to the gym. In the gym 4 or 5 Kan-Jam stations were set up with 3 ping pong tables and a fooseball table. This already had my attention! The monday students had exhausted their indoor days for the Track and Field unit and my HT thought it'd be better to give the 7th grade students an idea on what they'd be learning next year. As eighth graders do Disc Golf, Kan-Jam and Bocce Ball unlike their younger peers. The kids were split into 3 stations, Kan-Jam, Table Tennis/fooseball and Reviewing for the cognitive test they have coming up on Friday. The stations rotated depending on how many students were in the class. The sixth Graders however didn't have an exam on friday, so when they were at the review station they were just sitting out. Although Kan-Jam and Ping Pong are some of the greatest games ever invented, there is not a lot of movement going on. So while the sixth graders were sitting out I walked over to them and taught them how to play Full Body Rock Paper Scissors. The students were fully engaged and really were intrigued by this new game they had learned. Some, however didn't want to do it which is okay, because 95% of the students really enjoyed what we were doing. I felt good about the situation because now probably 30 more kids can go home and be jumping around all day playing Rock Paper Scissors. So to me, I did my job.

Fit For Life

This is my bulletin board for my 255 class. It is located in park center around the corner from the main doors. I had a pull tab information sheet that would direct students to the cdc website. Where they can find facts about obesity and diabetes or and disease in their county state or country. Students should be informed about the problems in America and how to be healthy forever. Included on the board are fact or fiction questions on fitness related topics. On the right side of the board you see ways to stay active and live a healthier life style.

The last full week we have of 255 is a depressing one. As the projects are passing their due dates its easy to see the finish of the semester sprinting towards us. It's fun to see how much we have developed in the past few months. In such a short time we have accomplished so much. Integrating technology into our lesson plans and responding to emergencies are only some of the experiences we got from this semester. In the beginning of the semester Professor Yang told us that a lot of times the people you have 255 with are some of the closest friends in your major. I find this to be very true in my case. I can't help but see the contacts I have made in this class. How close we all have come is astonishing, especially without the use of group projects. We were not forced to come together and look at each others blogs and steal ideas for our lessons but we do this by choice and accept that it happens. This class has changed my learning experience and I could only hope to have many more like it in my next year and a half at SUNY Cortland. Unfortunately I don't have Professor Yang for 470 next year which is upsetting. But there is one thing he has taught me, don't be afraid  of challenging yourself and trying new things. I feel this class has taught me so many ways to go above and beyond while teaching physical education to students. I can't wait to see how the teachers at Homer Middle School and High School run there classes. This is where I will be doing by 256 experience and I am excited to start observing this summer. As one door closes another opens. Keep checking this page to see how my experience at Homer is doing!

Lab D

Last Friday was my Lab D for 255. Unfortunately I don't feel it was my strongest lesson of the year. However I feel that my Lesson Plan, Scope+Sequence and Block Plan are better than they have been all year. The lesson; failure gives life to success. The whole lesson, from a student being blind to using the technology to my maximum potential and lesson plans and progressions. Some aspects of lessons are better than others, learning from those aspects that are not as good is what makes a teacher candidate a better candidate.

New Animoto Video

Lab D not EYE

Last Friday really tested my abilities to keep cool and trust in my lesson plan development. It was all going great, until I found out one of my students was blind. This really put me in an awkward experience, having no interaction with a blind person before. This was a really good challenge and I tried the best I could to adapt to the situation as best as possible. The difficulties that arose during the lesson were incredible. She couldn't hear what I or anybody would yell out to her which made it difficult for her to do the zumba moves. I also found myself really focusing on her which could tend to be a bad thing, and I tried to get my attention away from her. This was a great experience for me though and learned a lot from it. Check out the collage and slide show!